It's less than 24 hours until I get on a plane and fly back to New England. And to be frank, I'm a little nervous. I haven't seen the family since October 2003. And I do love them and miss them, but sometimes I just get overwhelmed. Especially when I'm back in "civilization," surrounded by strip malls and highways and people. Alaska has really grown on me, and I worry that I'll start to get claustrophobic surrounded by the teeming masses of humans one finds Outside.

Of course, I also have to spend time with Tom's family. I've met most of them once before, but it still makes me nervous. They clearly know how Tom and I feel about each other, but that still doesn't make it easy to handle a smart-ass like me. To make things easier, I dyed my hair to some color that occurs naturally on human heads.

And finally, there's the inevitable pressure Tom and I will face about our relationship. So let me just be plain: We are not going to visit the families to announce any of the following:

an engagement

a wedding

a baby

However, I have encouraged Tom to drop to one knee in front of me as often as possible to tie his shoes. That should keep people jumping.